Game.



s. A. AKINS, A

' GAME. APPLICATION FILED MAR.25'. W15.

- QMWHHHH E l lli IIIIIIHU wirf/5885815 ya'A j@ unna n nnnaud'nAPPLICATION FILED MAH. 25, 1915.

S. A. AKINS.

GAME.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TIP/PL ,STEPHEN A. Amas. or Kansas CITY, MISSOURI.

GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.'

Application led March 25, 1915. Serial No. 16,892.

To all ughom it may concern',

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. AKINs, a citizen of the' United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented. certain new and useful Improvements 1n Games, ot

simple apparatus of will accurately' display, substantially, :all

which'the following is av specification.

`My invention relatesto a base ball game apparatus, and my object is toprovide a this character` which plays that arise in a regular game ofmajor league base ball.

The apparatus may be-xnade in 'small sizes for convenient use on smalltables in the home, or it Acan be made in large sizes adapted to besuspended from the walls of public V- Fig. 1.

halls where the progress of games can be watched by many persons.

A game can be played on the apparatus by one or more persons withoutchanging said apparatus in any particular. In order that the inventionmay be fully understood, reference will now be made t0 the accompranyingdrawings, in which:

Figure lggis a plan view of the game. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionon line IIe-II of Fig. 3 isa broken longitudinal section' of the game,with some of the parts removed. li'ig. 4 is a broken horizontal sectionon line lIi -IV ofFigfl. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line V-V ofFig. '1. Fig. 6 is a detail of an annulus employed in carrying out theinvention.` Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line VII-VII of Fig. l.Fig. 8 is one of a plurality of disks employed to display men on bases.

In carrying out the invention, a suitable case 1, in which the mechanism.employed in playing the game is' inc losed.

The faceplate 1, of said case 1 hasa diamond printed or otherwiseproduced there- Said diamond represents the usual base lines 3, thehome-plate designated. Home, and the first, second, and third bases,designated 1.-B. .Z-B, and 3-B, respectively. Foul lines 2u. extend fromthe first and third bases to rig-ht and left fields, respectively.rOpenings C. 1--Bm, Q-Bm, and 3-Bm, are 'formed in the faceplate l`adjacent the home-plate and the inst, second, and third bases,respectively, for the display of the catcher, first baseman, secondbaseman, and third baseman of the ont team. An openingl S-S is 'formedin the face-plate la,

I the openings `in the face-plate `la.

I employ v between the second and third bases, to display the shortstopsot' the opposing teams 1n order, and an opening P is formed in thetace-plate la adjacent the center of the diamond 2 to display theopposing pitchers in their regular turn. An opening Ump is provided inthe face-plate la, in the rear of the catchers opening C, to display anumpire, and an opening B is formed adjacent the home-plate to displaythe diderent batters in their time at bat. The face-plate la, also hasopenings arranged in proper relation to the openings above-referred toand designated Re-F, C-F, and L-F, for the display of the right, center,and left fielders, respectively.

The runners, or men on bases, are carried on disks 4, 5 and G,` arrangedadjacent to l-B, 2,43, and 3-B, respectively. Each disk carries twodiderent' colored ligures and 8 to' represent runners of the twoopposing teams, distinguished from each other in the present instance bythe titles Reds and Blues. For convenience i in turning the disks todisplay red or blue runners, each disk'is mountedI upon a knob 9,journaled in the face-platev 1a. By thus independently mounting thedisks 4, 5 and G, all of the Abases may be either shown clear oroccupied with runners, or any one or two bases may be shown occupied, asrequired during 4the vprogress of the game. The red and blue pitcherslare carried on a disk 10 arranged beneath the opening I and mounted upona knob `11, journaled The catchers, basemen, short-stops and outeldersof the two opposing teams are carried upon 'an annulus 1'2, the reds7being designated It and the "blues B. The two umpires designated I, arealso carried upon the annulus 12, which is rotatably mounted andsurrounds the disks 4, 5, 6 and 10.

theV

The annulus 1 2 is rotated' through intermediacy of a knob 13 extendingthrough a segmental slot 14 in the 4,tace-plate la, and said annulus isguided in its movements by its knob 13 and a plurality of pins 15secured to the faceplate la and extending through segmental slots 1G inthe annulus. The annulusil/ has an inwardlvextending tongue i7 to bringthe battersi of the op-l posing teams in proper relation to the battersopening B. During the progress of a game the annulus 12 is shifted onlyat theV "openings in the face-'place 1a.

termination of each halt` inning to bring the 2O journaled in the case 1near the ends4 thereof.

,- VThe various'plays carried upon the apron 18 and a number of whichare indicated on Fig. 3, are arranged in column form and for convenienceare separated by horizontal and vertical lines 21 and 22, respectively.Said columns are arranged beneath display Said display openings arenormally closed by shutters designating Bases clear, Men on 1 and 2bases, Man on 1st base, Men on 1 and 3 bases, Man on 2nd base, Men on 2and 3 bases, Man on 3rd base, and Bases full. By arranging the playsupon the apron 18 with proper regard to said openings, impossible playscannot occur, but on the contrary only such. plays will be recorded inthe progress of the game as actually occur in a professional game. Theapron 18 is prevented from sagging awa/y from the openings below theshutters by a sustaining plate 18a, extending transversely across theinterior of the case 1,

n order to prevent the apron'. 18 irom l teeth 23, -which successivelyvpass' through correspondingperforations 24 adjacent the margins of theapron. In the present instance the roller 19 is so proportioned` thateach quarter revolution thereof advances the apron one step, or thedistance between two wheel 25, coacting with a pawl 26 held in atorwhen' the roller 19 'has turned one' fourth of a revolution. Forconyenience in rotating the roller 19, the ends of its-,shaftareprovided with hand-wheels 19a.

The shutters designated Bases clean,

etc., normally close their respective openings, so that the partyrotating the roller 19 cannot see any of the plays recorded on the'apron18, until he uncovers the proper the opposing parties playing the gamewill have an equal chance of winning the same. The shutters aremountedin' slideways 2 secured to the undersideof the .face-pla e 11a,and each shutter has a stem 29 extending through the adjacent end of thecase 1 and provided with a handle 30. The shutheld in closed position bycoil springs `31, embracing the stem's 29 and interposed between theadjacent end of the case 1 and shoulders V32 on said stems 29,

33 designates score recording /disksmounted upon knobs 33, journaled in'the upper corners of the case 1. Each scoring diskl strikes are`recorded by disks 35, 36, 37, and 38, respectively, arranged atconvenient points within the case 1 and mounted'uponv knobs 39 wherebythey may be readily rotated. The disk 35 has an annular row 'of numeralsfrom. 1 toV 9' or more, which are .displayed successivelyv through anopening 40 in the face-plate'la, at the termination of-each inning. Thedisk 36 bears numerals 1 to 3, inclusive, which are successivelydisplayed through 'fan opening 41 in'4 the lters are automaticallyclosed and normally ing, so that the score of each team can -beycorrectly kept. The number of innings, outs, balls, andface-plate l, aseachmember of a team is'v M put out. The disk37 bears numerals 1 to 4,inclusive, adapted to be successively displayed through' van opening 42in the face-v plate 1, to register the number of.balls called on eachbatter. Disk 38 hals numerals 1 to 3, inclusive, to be successivelydisplayed through an opening 43 in the faceplate 1, to register-thestrikes called on `each batter.

Assuming that by two parties one of whom represents the reds and.the'otlierthe blues, the one entitled to the field `isfirst'vdeterminedl by tossing a coin or any other suitable means. Allofi the d isk's are then rotated to. show the.v game is'to be played.iis

clear at their respective openings. If 'the wheels 19a as manyrevolutions as he desires, after which .he opens the shutter designatedBases clear. This exposes the play on the apron, which may be assumed asa"single." The 'disk 4 is then rotated vto expose a blue runner at thevfirst base opening.v .The first party then again rotates thehand-.wheels 19u as many revolutions asv desired', after which he opeisthe slide des-v l ignated Man on 1st base to iind a play which mayproperly f properly occur with runners and third bases.

` opening 41 until -tates the hand Wheels 19% and opens indicating occurwith the blue runner on first base. Assuming that the `play disclosed bythe apron shows a double, the disk 4f is turned to clear and the disks 5and 6 are turned to show blue runners at the second and third baseopenings. The first party then again notates the -handr Wheels 19 asmany revolutions as. desired and opens the shutter designated Men on 2and 3 bases77 to find a play which may on thesecond Assuming that theplay exposed on the apron reads Ball .and Out trying` tofsteal home, thedisk 6 is' rotated to show third base clear and the disk 36 is rotateduntil numeral 1 appears at the to indicate one out. The disk 37 is alsovrotated todisplay its numeral 1. The first party then again rotates thehandwheels 19a as far .as desired and opens the rslide designated Man onsecond base to expose fa play which may properly occur with the runneron sai base. 4Assuming that the open shutter discloses the Word Ball onthe apron, the 'disk Si' is rotate-d until the numeral 2 appears at theopening 42. lThe firstparty then again rotates the hand wheels 19a andagain opens the slide designated LLMan on second base. Assuming that theword Strike appears on the apron at the opening, the disk 38 isrotated.l the numeral 1 thereon appears at theV opening 43; The firstparty then again rothe slide Man on second base.7

the word Double be disclosed at the opensecond base ing the disks 3Tandi38 are rotated to clear position andthe disk 33 is rotated todiaclo'se score l for the blues The first party then again rotates thehand-wheels 19a andV opens the slide indicating Man on and if theopening discloses the words 2 outs"7 the disk 36 is turned to disclosethe numeral 3, thereon. As the fore going terminates the first halt ofthe first inning the disks and 5G are rotated to clear position and theannulus 12 is rotatedV in a tie at the end vas to remove the blue7players from the 1n and out field positions, and shift the red playersto said positions.' The second party then takes his position at thehand-wheels 19EL and proceeds in the samemanner as the first party untilthree outsv are registered. The disk 35 is then rotatedto disclose thenumeral l thereon to indicate that one full inning has been played. Thusthe game proceeds, each party taking his turn at the hand-wheels 19auntil a full game of nine inningsis played. "Should the score resultk ofthe ninth inning, extra innings may be played until one team attains agreater score than its opponent and thus wins the game.

fliile l have shown the preferred connirnere and scope of Should Iopenings to display the players of the struction, combination, andarrangement of parts, l reserve the right to make such changes asproperly fall within the spirit the claims.

Having thus described my l claim. and desire to secure ent, is:

1. ln an apparatus of the character described, a plate having throughwhich invention, what by Letters Pat different plays maybe dis- 'closedand other openings through which players of two opposing teams may oedis played in order in their respective in and out field positions,means beneath the last mentioned openings to display the players oi theopposing teams as required, means beneath the first mentioned openingsto indicate difierent plays that arise during the progress of the game,andv shutters to normally close `said first-mentioned openings.

2'. ln an apparatus o the character de scribed, a )late having `arepresentation of a base ball field thereon and openings through whichplayers of two opposing teams may be displayed in order in theirrespective in and out field positions, means beneath said openings 'todisplay the players of the opposing teams as required, means beneathother openings in the plate to indicate dilierent plays during theprogress of a game, shutters to close' the last-mentioned openings,slideways in which saidv shutters operate, means for opening saidshutters, and means for closing said shutters.

3. ln an apparatus of the character described, a plate .having openingsthrough which players of two opposing teams may be displayed in order intheir respective in and out field positions, means beneath said openingsto display the players of the opposing teams as required, an endlessapron containing various plays, which arise during the progress of thegame1 means for shifting said apron, and means beneath other openings inthe plate for uncovering the underlye ing plays.-

ll. ln an apparatus of the character described, a plate having openingsthrough which players of two opposing teams may be displayed in order intheir respective in and out field positions, means beneath said opposingteams as equiyefh an apron containing different plays rringed incolumns, means for shifting said iipron, and means beneath Qtheropenings inthe plate for uncovering theunderlying plays.

5. ln an apparatus of scribed, a plate having openings through whichplayers oi' two opposing teams may certain openings'v the characterdci-l be displayed in order in i beneath? other? progress ofja game,rollers over whichsaid apron travels, 4means. for i'ota'tingone of saidrollersftoffshift the apron'find means l `openings in the plate for un`Acoif'eringthe underlying alays. i

6. In an apparatus o l the character describeda plate having openingsthrough which players of two opposing teams may their respective inmeans beneath 'said of the opposand out 'field positions, openings todisplay the players ing teams as required, an endless apron con' tainingvarious plays which. arise during the progress of a game, rollers aroundwhich said apron travels, and means coacting with one Vof said rollersto determine when the apron has moved a predetermined distance.

In an apparatus of the character ldescribed, a plate-having openingsthr'ough which players of two opposing teams may be displayed in orderinA their. respective in and out field positions,

`and out field positions, means beneath said openings to display theplayers of the oppos-A .ing teams as required, an apron containingcolumns of -plays ,which arise during the progress of a game, and meanswhereby certain columns may be chosen for of proper plays as they arise.during the progress of a game.

8. In an apparatus of the. character described, a member having openingstherein through which different plays may be disclosed, movable meansbeneath said openings bearing the names of said plays, and meansoperably connected to said member to normally close said openings,during thevoper.- ation of said movable means.

9. In an` apparatus of the character 1de,- scribed, a member havingopenings through which players. of two opposing teams may be displayedin order in their an annulus having said players spaced representationsof thereon in such manner that one operation of said annulus disclosesplayers of one team and another operation of said'aimulus disclosesplayers ofthe other team at said openings, and movable means surroundedby said annulus and containing representations of baserunners of theopposing teams to be disl played at base openings in the first-men--tioned member.

' 10. In an apparatus of the character de- .Y yf,c-mbd.:a member havingopenings through which players of two opposing teams may be displayed inorder in their respective in and the .display respective in i pianaleout field positions, a-n-annulus having representations of said playersspaced thereon in such manner that one operation of said an- -nulusdiscloses players of one team and of said annulus discloses- 11. In anapparatus of the'charaoter de-V scribed, a member having openingsthrough which players of two opposing teams may V be displayed inorderin their respectiveI in and out field positions, an, annulusvhaving representations of said players spaced thereon in such mannerthat one .operation of said annulus discloses players of one team andanother operation of said annulus discloses players of the other team atindependent notary members surrounded by said'annulus and containingrepresentations of base runners and pitchers of the oppos ing teams tobe displayed at base openings and a pitchers opening, respectivelyfinthe first-mentioned. member, 'and' means for actuating said rotarymembers.

1:2. In anapparatus of the character described, 'a member'havingopenings through which and out field positions, and an annulus having aninwardly extending tongue and representations of players spaced thereonand on said tongue in such manner that one operation of said annulusldiscloses certain players of both teams at said openings and anotheroperation discloses certain other players of both teams at saidopenings.

13. In an apparatus of the character de.- scribed, a member havingopenings therein through which different 'playsmay be disclosed, movablemeans beneath said open-' said' openings,`

players of two opposing teams may be displayed in order in theirrespective 1n` ings bearing the names of said plays, means to close saidopenings during the operation of said movable means, and means toindicate when the plays successively register with the openings.

vIn testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

. STEPHEN A. AKINS.

Witnesses:

A.. M. AKINS, L. J. FIsoHEn.

